Ethnographic Imaginings

Ethnographic Imaginings

Poets John Agard, Grace Nichols & Imtiaz Dharker spent time with Hastings Museum & Art Gallery's World Art collection to write new poems exploring and bringing to life the wealth of intriguing artefacts in this permanent exhibition.

With objects relating to childhood, food & drink, costume, leisure, warfare, and belief, the exhibits span 4,000 years of human history - from a ceremonial feather cloak to a suit of Samurai armour; from a Tibetan Buddhist monastery door to Ancient Egyptian funerary items; from a white burqa to a selection of simple shell fish-hooks. The displays are housed in the ornately carved Durbar Hall.

Both the original project and these new recordings have been supported by Word County, a written & spoken word programme designed to celebrate a sense of place and create opportunities for local communities to join in, as well as to see and hear professional writers and speakers.

A booklet of the poems is available free from the Museum. Please email museum@hastings.gov.uk to request your copy. A panel display of the poems is also available for hire. Please email charvey@hastings.gov.uk for more information and bookings.